Cookbook:Cuisine of Pakistan

Pakistani cuisine is broadly very similar to the cuisine of North India as during Independance in 1947, there was an influx of Indian Muslims who bought many traditional Indian dishes with them which were adopted by the locals to become national staples too. There are also strong influences from Persia, Afghanistan, the south-west coast of the Indian sub-continent, and , in more recent times, Middle East thanks to increasing numbers of Pakistani's travelling to the UAE in particular.

Pakistani Muslims revere meat dishes and don't avoid beef whereas members of the Pakistani Hindu and Sikh communities avoid beef and are mostly strict vegetarians. The geographical and ethnic diversity of Pakistan has resulted in numerous regional specialities emerging, often with people competitively claiming particular dishes were born in their region, as can often be seen between Karachi- ites and Lahoris, such is their passion for food.